Golf Betting Glossary

Albatross – When a golfer scores three under par, this is called an albatross.

Accumulator – An accumulator is a combination of three or more bets. These are generally pretty rare in golf to be honest, but can work well when linked with match betting rather than any outright winner markets.

All square – This term is used to reference a match play game when the scores are tied. Whilst in stroke play events the actually number of shots is compared, in match play the games are played out hole by hole and scores racked up accordingly.

Back nine – The back nine is the final 9 holes on a golf course with the final three or so holes referred to as the stretch.

Birdie – A score that is made 1 under par

Bogey – A score that is made 1 over par

Cut – The cut is a number of strokes in which a golfer must take before being eliminated for the competition. The cut is made after the first two rounds and will include players within the top 60 or players within 10 shots of the lead. If a player is outside either of these numbers then they will be deemed to have missed the cut and will be eliminated from the tournament.

Double – A double is a betting term used to signify placing two bets on one slip. It requires you to have both selections to be successful to win the bet.

Double bogey – a double bogey is score that is made which is 2 over par.

Eagle – A score that is made two shots better than par.

Each way – This is a term used by bookmakers to allow punters to bet on a player finishing within a certain group of positions. This will likely be a top 5 finish, but by betting on an each way result you will get ¼ of the starting odds for that player. This bet also gets split down into two parts with the first going on the player to win and the second going that on the player to place at reduced odds.

Front nine – The first 9 holes of that course.

Four ball – When four players only are playing in one group.

Go High – This term is sued when spread betting and is an indication that you will bet on the spread above their line.

Go Low – Similar to above, except this term means you will be betting on the spread to be under the initial line set.

Greens in regulation (GIR) – This term means how many greens that player has hit in the amount of strokes he is ‘supposed’ to take. For example, the course has 18’s greens on it, you are expected to hit all par 3’s in 1 shot, par four’s in two shots and par 5’s in three shots. The more times you do this, the higher the number of greens in regulation you will have hit.

Group betting – This is where you bet against a group of players from a tournament that might be playing together or by mythical and made up by the bookmaker. The progress of how they do in relation to the tournament is irrelevant, all that matters is how each player fairs up against other players from their group. Group betting can include 18 holes, 36 holes, 54 or 72 holes.

Hedging – This term is used when a punter has been able to guarantee a profit on all result from that competition. Alternatively, it can also be used to limit losses as well. It works by laying a result that you have earlier backed, hopefully at shorter odds than backed to guarantee you a profit. Whilst the original bet doesn’t have to be made on a betting exchange, to lay a bet you will need the exchange.

Hole in one – When a golfer hits the ball straight in the hole with just one shot.

Live betting – This is when you bet on markets as the tournament takes place. The markets will adjust automatically to events taking place and you can wager as the competition unfolds. Sometimes known as in-play betting.

Lay – To lay a bet is to essentially back against that result. It’s what bookmakers do to offer markets, lay them at a certain price where people can then back them. To do this you will need to use a betting exchange such as Betfair or Betdaq.

Liquidity – This terms shows you how much money has been wagered on a specific market and also how much you can wager at a certain price. It’s generally used on betting exchanges and shows you how easy it will be place a bet at certain odds.

Match bets – A match bet is bet between just two golfers in a head to head battle. The result of the tournament won’t matter for this type of betting, just whatever happens between the two players.

Out of bounds – An area on the golf course in which players are forbidden to hit from. If the ball goes out of bounds then they must return to where they hit their original shot and playing again.

Outright winner – The outright winner market is the most popular when it comes to golf betting and is where you can bet on who you think will be the overall winner of that tournament.

Par – The number of shots you should take on each hole.

Prop bets – Sometimes known as proposition bets, prop bets are a form of miscellaneous bets that often are bit more random than the usually betting markets. They can range drastically but generally are just bets made to yes or no answers of question. An example of a prop bet might be along the lines of ‘A hole in one to be made?’ then to bet on the yes or no answer.

Spread – The spread is a form of betting that allows you to take the over or under line on a certain result. These types of bets can only be used in head to head matches for the most part, but will be weighted in favour of one player over the other. Instead of backing the over or under you may be asked to buy (the over price) or sell (the under price) for your bet.

Stop-loss – This is a term used for a punter who wants to limit the amount of money they can lose at any one time. A stop loss amount is the amount they are prepared to lose before cutting their loses. It can work as the maximum they are going to wager before quitting or the amount in which they are willing to lay a certain result for.

Tee – The area in which you take the first shot of every hole. Can be referred to as a tee box or teeing area.

Three ball – When there are three players playing in one group.

Top placed finisher – Betting on a player to finis within a certain number of players off the lead. This might be top 5, top 10 or top 20, but will generally see reduced odds the more places that pay out.

Top country representative – Similar to top placed finishes, these markets allow you to bet on players to be the top rated representative of their county or region. These might include European, American, South Africa, German and a whole host of places around the world.